Knife splashing

Chapter 668: The Deep Waters of Tianjin
The rapid sounds of clappers and gongs and drums cut through the morning mist.

There was a blazing fire near Houjiahou Hutong, which could be seen from several streets away.

This hall has three courtyards. Although the area is not small, after the renovation, there are too many things piled up. A shed was built in the front yard to serve as a gambling house, the small compartments in the middle yard are filled with flammable materials, and the backyard is even more compact.

Because it was near the dock and there were many people inside, any fire that occurred was usually put out by simply pouring water.

But Li Yan's killing spree scared the clients and prostitutes so much that they ran away, and the hangers-on and thugs suffered heavy casualties. No one could take care of them at all. The fire became more and more fierce and soon engulfed the entire Cui Xi Hall. The body of One-eyed Master Lu was also charred in the fire.

Fortunately, there is more than one business here.

Other halls were afraid of being affected by the fire, so they sent people to put out the fire.

Of course, the chaos goes far beyond that.

There was a shrewd prostitute in Cuixi Hall who secretly put the silver bills of the hall into her arms. The gamblers who had lost all their money took advantage of the chaos to rob and fight with thugs from other halls. Some even took the opportunity to stab their enemies...

In such a place of debauchery, human desires are infinitely magnified.

Outsiders only see the bright lights and feasting, but they have no idea of ​​the sinister nature of people.

A fire broke out and chaos ensued.

But Tianjin, a prosperous place, is not completely disorderly.

Even if the government does nothing, someone will take care of it.

The sound of dense footsteps came from outside the street.

Hundreds of big men came running in aggressively, all of them looked ferocious, holding wooden sticks, iron chains, daggers, and the green scale badges on their waists were so bright under the torches that people could not open their eyes. They rushed directly into the alley and beat up anyone who was causing trouble.

They grabbed the prostitute who was trying to climb out holding the silver box, and smashed her head with jujube wood sticks.

Those gamblers who lost so much money that they resorted to robbery were cornered and beaten to a bloody pulp with iron chains and sticks.

"Listen to me!"

A bald man with tattoos shouted angrily: "Jinghai Gang is investigating the arsonist! Those who carry money are all thieves!"

As he said this, he seemed still unsatisfied, so he grabbed a gambler's hair, turned the dagger around, and cut his throat.

Under the threat of Jinghai's gang, the chaos was finally quelled.

No one made trouble and the firefighting became orderly.

Under the command of an experienced middle-aged man, the fire was gradually brought under control.

When dawn broke, only the ruins of Cui Xi Hall were left, with smoke still rising from it.

The charcoal-burnt body of One-Eyed Lu Ye was also found, and several thugs dragged it and carried it to the corner of the alley.

There was a small sedan parked there, made of sandalwood and with curtains made of Shu brocade.

Four tall and strong porters stood around with their arms folded, keeping watch.

Their facial features were similar, and they were actually quadruplets, all of whom had flintlock rifles on their waists.

"Go back to the third master."

A man from the Jinghai Gang bowed respectfully and said, "Master Lu's body has been found."

"check!"

A mellow and indifferent voice came from the sedan.

As soon as he finished speaking, an old man next to him stepped forward immediately.

He was carrying a wooden box on his back, and when he opened it, he found all kinds of chisels, axes and other tools inside.

If there were government officials present, they would discover that the old man was the most experienced coroner in the government office.

The old coroner knelt in front of the charred corpse, wrapped his hands with green cloth, and peeled off the dark skin and flesh, revealing the oblique fracture of the tibia. After a careful inspection, a hoarse voice rolled out of his throat: "What a Guanzhong quick knife bone removal method!"

Then, he used a pair of tweezers to lift up the charred flesh on the skull, with a hint of surprise in his eyes:
"A flying knife pierced through the brain. I have never heard of such a vicious hidden weapon..."

"It's not a hidden weapon."

The voice in the sedan chair sounded again, "Have you found the other people in the hall?"

"Report to the Third Master, if you have captured a few, bring them up!"

The man from the Jinghai Gang bowed, then turned around and gave orders to drag the trembling Cuixitang thugs over.

"It was a person, with a mask on, and very white skin..."

"He used a knife, and the knife could fly..."

"He killed Wu Jieba first..."

Not daring to hide anything, they pieced together the whole process one by one.

There was silence in the sedan for a long time, and then the voice sounded again.

"Where's our goods?"

"Replying to Third Master, they were all burned."

"Go to the Cao Gang and pass me a note to invite Liu Heishou to have tea."

"Also, send orders to see if there is any group of people entering Jinmen."

"Their leader is called Li Yan."

"Remember, just find a place to stay, don't meet each other!"

"Yes, Third Master!"

After giving the order, the four strong men immediately lifted Xiaojiao and left.

Along the way, men from the Jinghai Gang would come forward from time to time to wait for orders.

And the men of Jinghai Gang were also ordered to go to various places in the city...

…………

The sun gradually rose, and the smell of burning from the Houjiahou Hutong also drifted to the fork in the road.

Old Yang picked up the ear-shaped fried cake from the frying pan and sniffed, "What's going on?"

The old woman helping in the kitchen whispered, "The shadow of the fire was shining brightly at night. I heard there was a fire in Houjia Hutong!"

"You don't know."

The boatman who was eating smiled mysteriously, and Zhao San, who had a gap in his teeth, showed his yellow teeth: "That's the smell of the burnt roast chicken in Cui Xi Tang..."

Before he could finish his words, he was kicked in the butt by the leader of the barracks next to him: "Don't talk nonsense, be careful of disaster, eat quickly and carry the bag!"

The people of Tianjin are not stupid and they vaguely guessed that there was something wrong with the fire.

But ordinary people dare not get involved in such things and just treat them as gossip.

But the undercurrent in Tianjin's underworld is already surging.

In the Nanshi wrestling arena, burly shirtless men wrestled with each other, causing dust to fly everywhere, and their cheers were so loud that the roof was blown away.

A middle-aged man wearing sunglasses was sitting on a bench on the sidelines, spinning two Baoding iron balls in his hands.

"What is Li Yan's background?"

He spat out a mouthful of tea foam, "You dare to touch the Jinghai Gang's territory?"

The bald man next to him whispered, "It is said that he is a dragon from Guanzhong. He killed Master Tongbi Lu."

"A dragon crossing the river?"

The middle-aged man sneered, "When you get to the Haihe River, you'll be like a dragon coiling up! Tell the kids down below, there will be plenty of pot stickers for lunch today. After you're full, come meet this gentleman with me!"

"this…"

The bald man quickly whispered: "The Third Master said, don't act rashly..."

Snapped!
Before he could finish his words, he was slapped in the face and fell to the ground.

The middle-aged man stood up suddenly and said with a sullen face: "Don't move. There are so many eyes in Tianjin. Are we going to let people see our Jinghai Gang making a fool of themselves?"

"Yu Wenhai has only burned the third stick of incense. It is not yet his turn to make the decision for the Jinghai Gang!"

……

East of the city, outside the Jade Emperor Temple.

It is close to the Sanchahekou Wharf and not far from the Tianhou Temple.

The Jade Emperor Pavilion is the largest Taoist temple in Tianjin.

The archway has four pillars and three rooms, with a plaque reading "Only Heaven is Great" on the front and a plaque reading "Mintian Holy Lord" on the back. Together with the mountain gate, bell and drum tower, side halls, hexagonal pavilion, main hall and Qingxu Pavilion, it is quite large in the populous city of Tianjin. The ninth day of the first lunar month is said to be the birthday of the Jade Emperor, and the stars in the sky descend to the earth the day before.

Therefore, every year on the eighth day of the first lunar month, believers in Tianjin go to the Jade Emperor Pavilion to burn incense, which is called the Jade Emperor Meeting.

Apart from the Tianhou Temple, this is the place with the most incense.

There are crowds of pilgrims every day. Outside, besides the incense and candle shops, there are various restaurants.

Inside a breakfast shop, Li Yan sat on a bench, nibbling on gabacai and mung bean flour pancakes, which were soaking warm in a coarse porcelain bowl.

I didn't sleep last night. Although I'm not sleepy, I'm very hungry.

In a blink of an eye, he had finished the breakfast for two people.

After eating, he ordered another pot of tea and looked at the Jade Emperor Pavilion opposite calmly, as if thinking about something.

He is not a novice. After going through many trials and tribulations, he is very experienced in the Twelve Yuanchen team.

The situation in Tianjin is somewhat complicated.

But no matter how complicated it is, it can't compare to Chengdu and Luoyang.

Upon discovering that the water here was deep and that many forces were colluding with each other, Li Yan immediately changed his approach.

The commotion at Cui Xi Tang last night also served to alert the enemy.

In fact, he did not leave last night. He had been waiting outside Houjia Hutong and finally waited for Yu Wenhai, the third master of the Jinghai Gang.

In the sky, there was also a falcon circling, cooperating with Li Yan in tracking.

The locations where the other party sent people to deliver the letters were also recorded by Lu San of Jinzhou Guild Hall.

Li Yan's idea was very simple. Since the murderer had been identified, he would just uproot him.

If it were in other places, it would be difficult to deal with because the mountains are high and the emperor is far away.

But here, we are the guards of Tianjin.

No matter how chaotic it is, it is the place where the power of the Duwei Division and the Xuan Priests gather under the feet of the emperor.

Find all the participants and notify the Duwei Division to take action.

When it comes to the Jiuding and Jianmu organizations, no one in the Duwei Division dares to disobey orders.

However, things have changed.

He didn't expect that Yu Wenhai would end up running to the Jade Emperor Temple.

From Tianjin to the capital, the Taixuan Orthodox Sect is in charge. Both the City God Temple and the Jade Emperor Temple are its subordinate forces.

Could it be that Taixuan Orthodox Sect has also been corrupted?

Thinking of this, Li Yan's expression became serious.

It's no wonder he was suspicious. With Tianjin in such a mess, the Taoists there couldn't possibly be unaware...

Suddenly, he had an idea and looked towards the door on the left.

A pilgrim in a gray cloth gown strode in.

He was tall and strong, with a full beard, and was followed by several servants, all with sharp eyes.

"Give me some fried cakes, with lots of sugar!"

The gray-robed pilgrim lifted his robe and sat down at Li Yan's table. After ordering some snacks, he smiled and said:

"Young Master Li, the crispy sesame oil fruit from Tianjin is comparable to the mutton soup from Guanzhong?"

Li Yan also smiled, "Brother Tian, ​​long time no see."

The visitor was none other than Captain Tian from the Capital City's Duwei Division.

After he first discovered Zhao Changsheng, his good friend Luo Mingzi in Chang'an City was transferred to the capital, and under the emperor's order, he mobilized elite forces from all sides to specifically investigate and hunt down Zhao Changsheng.

This Captain Tian was one of them. He met him at Liangzi Lake and then entered Shu in disguise. However, when he heard the news about Zhao Changsheng from the south, he left early and missed the battle in Chengdu.

Chen San from Zhangqiu Town informed Tianjin of the secret order.

Li Yan sent a signal on the way, but he didn't expect that the person who came was Tian Qianhu.

"Yes."

Listening to Li Yan's greetings, Tian Qianhu also sighed, "I didn't expect that Chengdu would cause such a big incident. Fortunately, there is Li Shaoxia, otherwise there would be countless casualties in Shu, and we would also be to blame. On the way back, I also heard the name of the Twelve Yuanchen."

"It's just the right time."

Li Yan shook his head slightly, "What did you find out in Jiangnan?"

Hearing his question, a trace of sadness flashed in Tian Qianhu's eyes, and he said in a deep voice: "The situation in Jiangnan is a bit complicated. We only found out that the last time Zhao Changsheng appeared, he wiped out a village of Tanka people, and it was related to the Japanese pirates."

"We were ambushed and suffered heavy casualties. Only three of us survived."

"Zhao Changsheng is not alone. There are many experts around him who come and go without a trace. We cannot handle them."

Li Yan was not surprised after hearing this.

As far as he knew, Zhao Changsheng's organization Jianmu was composed of some tough old monsters.

The Duwei Division is an elite group of soldiers, and they are capable of dealing with ordinary people in the martial arts world.

Facing these guys, it's really not enough.

As they were talking, the restaurant became quiet.

It turned out to be Tian Qianhu's men who had cleared out the restaurant, leaving only the old man trembling with fear as he brought the fried cakes.

The fried cakes were golden, sprinkled with icing sugar, and smelled delicious.

Without saying anything, Captain Tian picked up one and stuffed it into his mouth, mocking himself as he ate, "Young Master Li, don't laugh at me. I've been away from Tianjin for a year, and I'm still craving this. I wouldn't trade it for a commander."

Then he whispered, "I saw the secret order just after I came back. What does Young Master Li want us to do?"

"There is a Jianmu stronghold in Tianjin!"

Li Yan didn't waste any words and told everyone his findings one by one.

This person was strongly recommended by Luo Mingzi, and since they had dealt before, he could be trusted.

"Jinghai Gang?!"

After hearing this, Tian Qianhu paused and slowly put down his chopsticks.

Li Yan frowned slightly, "Why, the Commandery is afraid of a gang?"

"Young Master Li doesn't know."

Captain Tian shook his head and looked outside the door. "To be honest, I came from the Tianjin Guard Commandery. This place may seem like just a shipping port, but it is actually closely connected to the capital."

"These underworld gangs cannot be completely eliminated. If they are forced too hard, they will collude with Maitreya and gather together to rebel. Therefore, the court's strategy has always been to balance the power and will not allow any one party to dominate."

Li Yan immediately understood, "The Jinghai Gang can dominate Tianjin. Is it related to the capital?"

Tian Qianhu nodded, looked around, and whispered, "Founding nobles!"

After hearing this, Li Yan immediately understood.

Xiao Chengyou, the founding emperor of the Daxuan Dynasty, was originally the Marshal of Daxing in the previous dynasty. Because he was envied by the Emperor of Daxing, was humiliated in his own dynasty, and the northern Golden Horde invaded, he rebelled in anger.

At the beginning, not only did the Taixuan Orthodox Sect and the Shenquan Society composed of people from the martial arts world help, but several marshals of the same level in the army also gave their full support and joined their ranks. Even the original Maitreya Sect rose up to respond.

Only through the unity of all forces could the situation be reversed and the Golden Horde Wolf Kingdom be driven out of China.

Except for the Maitreya Sect, which later fell out with the imperial court, other forces all benefited.

Taixuan Orthodox Sect became the state religion. Although the Shenquan Society declined, it still served as a balancer between the local martial arts world and the imperial court.

And those generals and marshals who followed the army into battle were promoted to higher positions after the country was established.

There were more than a dozen people who were granted the titles of king or marquis.

The influence of these people is no less than that of the feudal lords, and they have close ties with the military.

"Behind the Jinghai Gang is the Yingwang Palace."

Captain Tian did not hide anything and said, "King Ying followed Your Majesty to conquer the northern border many years ago and made outstanding military achievements. After returning, he immediately handed over his military power and closed the door to no one. Therefore, he is deeply trusted by Your Majesty. However, King Ying is nostalgic, so he takes good care of his old subordinates."

"The old leader of the Jinghai Gang is named Lu Jinghai. He was once a fierce general in the navy and also knew the secret method of naval warfare. However, he was expelled from the army because he violated military law. Later, he founded the Jinghai Gang in Tianjin and became powerful with the support of the palace."

As he said this, he turned his head and looked towards the Jade Emperor Pavilion, "This Lu Jinghai rarely asks about the affairs of the gang now. I heard that he is practicing Taoism in the Jade Emperor Pavilion..."

(End of this chapter)